TOP STORIES:
Poll Shows Obama Slipping on Key Issues; Balz, Cohen WASHINGTON POST
Democrats’ New Worry: Their Own Rich Voters; Weisman WALL STREET JOURNAL
Pelosi: Make millionaires pay; Allen POLITICO
President Is Set to ‘Take the Baton’; Shear, Murray WASHINGTON POST
Governors Fear Medicaid Costs in Health Plan; Sack, Pear NEW YORK TIMES
White House putting off release of budget update; Raum ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Squandered Stimulus; Samuelson WASHINGTON POST
‘The Cause of My Life’; Sen. Edward M. Kennedy NEWSWEEK
HOUSE:
Sharks Circle in Congress; Editorial NEW YORK TIMES
With Health Reform, Waxman Takes On Another Tall Order; Connolly WASHINGTON POST
Moderates bedevil Waxman — again; O’Connor POLITICO
Cheney focus of Intel subcommittee?; Isenstadt POLITICO
Under bills, U.S. would funnel more money into diplomacy; Dilanian USA TODAY
House climate bill was flooded with last-minute changes; Tankersley LOS ANGELES TIMES
Ross Is Blue Dogs’ Bulldog; Dennis ROLL CALL
Conservative Members Target Financial Reform Effort; Carter ROLL CALL
Rangel: Higher Taxes Needed To Make Health Plan Work; CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
Dictionary adds Hill favorite: ‘Earmark’; Dinan WASHINGTON TIMES
INTELLIGENCE GAMES; Rep. Peter Hoekstra NEW YORK POST
HOUSE ELECTIONS:
Running Against Bush: Can It Work Again for Democrats in 2010?; Rothenberg ROLL CALL
SENATE:
For Democrats, an Issue That Goes to the Roots; Harwood NEW YORK TIMES
Hidden Danger; Editorial WASHINGTON POST
Marching Orders; Editorial WASHINGTON POST
Centrists Seek to Slow Health Bill Timetable; Hitt, Yoest WALL STREET JOURNAL
Hate crimes bill nears passage; Isenstadt POLITICO
GOP leader: Health care overhaul too drastic; ASSOCIATED PRESS
Reconciliation Proves Tricky; Pierce; ROLL CALL
Obama’s Veto Threat Has Yet to Down the F-22; Mulero ROLL CALL
Lobbyists lining up for shot at climate bill; Snyder THE HILL
Fights over the F-22 engulf Senate, House; Tiron THE HILL
SCHUMER TAKES AIM AT GUN BILL; Retter NEW YORK POST
SENATE ELECTIONS:
Specter takes hard line on Sestak; Falcone POLITICO
Dodd denouncement raises eyebrows; Abrahamson POLITICO
After bashing K Street, Dodd mingles with lobbyists; Bogardus THE HILL
POLITICS/CAMPAIGNS:
Spotlight to Shine Again on Jindal, Perhaps Briefly; Cillizza WASHINGTON POST
‘A trillion here, a trillion there’; Gov. Bobby Jindal POLITICO
C St.: where scandal meets spirituality; Lerer, McGarr POLITICO
Bipartisanship, in three courses; McGarr POLITICO
N.M. governor’s race takes shape; POLITICO
Palin: Alaska tour is thanks, not goodbye; Daly ASSOCIATED PRESS
Intrigue Grows Over C Street; Brady, Kucinich ROLL CALL
Sanford apologizes to South Carolina apologizes; Wilson THE HILL
D.A. Joins GOP Field for New Mexico Governor; CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
ADMINISTRATION:
As Media Grow, FCC Looks Ahead; Kang WASHINGTON POST
Foreign Policy by Deadline; Hoagland WASHINGTON POST
The Obama Agenda Bogs Down; Barnes WALL STREET JOURNAL
Obama feels the heat, changes the play; Smith POLITICO
Biden’s prediction on foreign policy tests rings true; Youngman THE HILL
SCOTUS:
Race in 2028; Douthat NEW YORK TIMES
Sotomayor: Headline Snooze; Kurtz WASHINGTON POST
‘Empathy’ Takes a Knock in Confirmation Hearings; Bravin WALL STREET JOURNAL
Leahy hits GOP for ‘racist’ comments; Lerer POLITICO
Analysis: Sotomayor would be beholden to no one; Mears ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hearings fail to sway Sessions to Sotomayor’s side; Daniel ASSOCIATED PRESS
Old Supporters Now Sotomayor Foes; Stanton ROLL CALL
Leahy accuses GOP of “racial politics”; O’Brien THE HILL
McConnell won’t vote for Sotomayor; Lengell WASHINGTON TIMES
BAILOUT/ECONOMY:
Obama Aide Declines Visit to Bank Board; Calmes NEW YORK TIMES
CIT Is Said to Obtain Urgent Loan to Prevent Bankruptcy; de la Merced NEW YORK TIMES
At N.Y. Fed, Blending In Is Part of the Job; Irwin WASHINGTON POST
Bailout Overseer Says Banks Misused TARP Funds; Appelbaum WASHINGTON POST
Fed’s Lending Ebbs as Crisis Subsides; Reddy, Shrivastava WALL STREET JOURNAL
IRS Gets Tougher on Offshore Tax Evaders; Saunders WALL STREET JOURNAL
Commercial mortgage failure at 20-year high in U.S.: report; REUTERS
HEALTHCARE:
Costs and Benefits; Editorial NEW YORK TIMES
Health Bill Might Direct Tax Money to Abortion; Pear, Liptak NEW YORK TIMES
Why Obama Likes His Odds; Dionne WASHINGTON POST
The Cost of Taxing Health Benefits; James Klein, John Sweeney WASHINGTON POST
Drug Makers Criticized for Co-Pay Subsidies; Rockoff WALL STREET JOURNAL
Doctors’ Payments Snag Health Bill; Adamy WALL STREET JOURNAL
What’s Up, Docs?; Editorial WALL STREET JOURNAL
Insurers add voices to a noisy debate; Frates, Brown POLITICO
Official: 5 plans revamp health care, none final; Elliott ASSOCIATED PRESS
Budget chief sees progress in health care overhaul; ASSOCIATED PRESS
White House stands by August goal for healthcare; Allen REUTERS
The Rose Garden: Obama’s Labor Relations Appear on the Upswing; Koffler ROLL CALL
Obama to Hold Health Care Roundtable Monday; Koffler ROLL CALL
White House Softens on Health Care Timeline; Dennis ROLL CALL
Deficits, taxes dominate healthcare debate taxes; Allen THE HILL
White House holds to health care timetable; Lengell WASHINGTON TIMES
Obama targets rich to fund health care; Ohlemacher ASSOCIATED PRESS
Destroying private health insurance; Editorial WASHINGTON TIMES
STIMULUS:
McConnell, Orszag duel on stimulus; Gerstein POLITICO
Highway spending isn’t the stimulus it was envisioned to be; Lee LOS ANGELES TIMES
LABOR/EFCA:
The New Old ‘Card Check’; Editorial WALL STREET JOURNAL
FedEx and UPS Clash Over Legislation; Roth WALL STREET JOURNAL
Unions Open to EFCA Deal; Murray ROLL CALL
ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT:
Meeting Shows U.S.-India Split on Emissions; Landler NEW YORK TIMES
Chemicals That Eased One Woe Worsen Another; Fahrenthold WASHINGTON POST
Clinton, Indian Minister Clash Over Emissions Reduction Pact; Kessler WASHINGTON POST
Local Firms Snatch Up More Gas Stations as Big Oil Moves On; Mufson WASHINGTON POST
Nominees Signal More Regulation; Trottman WALL STREET JOURNAL
Interior to halt uranium mining at Grand Canyon; Lowy, Fonseca ASSOCIATED PRESS
Eco-friendly light bulbs flip switch on problems; Geracimos WASHINGTON TIMES
Pickens tilts for windmills; Krudy WASHINGTON TIMES
DEFENSE/WAR ON TERROR:
Pentagon Seeks Prison Overhaul in Afghanistan; Schmitt NEW YORK TIMES
16 Killed in Copter Crash at Afghan Base; Oppel NEW YORK TIMES
American Marine Is Killed in Western Iraq; Williams NEW YORK TIMES
Conflicting Priorities Endanger High-Tech Army Program; Drew NEW YORK TIMES
U.S. Troops in Iraq Find Little Leeway; Londoño WASHINGTON POST
Marines Face Stiff Taliban Resistance; Tyson WASHINGTON POST
U.S. Expected to Miss Deadline on Detainee Policy; Perez, Weisman WALL STREET JOURNAL
Afghan Villagers Attack Taliban; Gopal, Rosenberg WALL STREET JOURNAL
As wars’ death toll nears 5,000, Dover shows quiet dignity; Hampson USA TODAY
U.S. increasing counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan; Meyer LOS ANGELES TIMES
McHugh begins preparations for confirmation; Hooper THE HILL
Americans held in Iraq say FBI violated rights; Gertz WASHINGTON TIMES
U.S. LOCAL:
Pension Calculus Draws New Scrutiny; Karmin WALL STREET JOURNAL
Governors resist footing federal projects’ bill; ASSOCIATED PRESS
California budget talks postponed; Welch USA TODAY
OF NOTE:
Israel Rejects U.S. Call to Hold Off on Development; Bronner NEW YORK TIMES
Europe Thumps U.S., Again; Editorial WALL STREET JOURNAL
TOP BLOGS:
Sebelius: Tax on wealthy is ‘legitimate’; Lerer POLITICO LIVE
Orszag: August still ‘the goal’ for health care bill; Lerer POLITICO LIVE
Sebelius, Orszag out of sync on rationing; Gerstein POLITICO LIVE
Rangel wishes House had more time on health reform; Gerstein POLITICO LIVE
Ensign’s Approval Takes Big Hit; TAEGAN GODDARD’S POLITICAL WIRE